Station 51's Day of Infamy
by Dr. Kelly's Gal
Summary: Follow Station 51 as they deal with something they never thought they would have to. Tissue alert; major character death. Please r/r thanks!


"**Station 51's Day of Infamy"**

**By: Jimi James Haze**

(Mike Stoker has another story to tell! This time it involves the whole Station 51 crew. As always "Emergency!" and those connected to it will never be mine. Either will two famous quotes from the show. But my made up characters are mine and cannot be used without permission. )

One year ago, Station 51 experienced their very own day of infamy. I know the word infamy has to be used with careful respect but honestly it's the only word that fits. It's something that we truly dreaded and hated and thought it would never happen but have somehow gotten used to the idea if there is such a thing. Some days are better than others but the pain in our hearts will be with us for quite some time. Here's the story.

The day started out like any other. It was bright and sunny, the Station echoed with Chet and John's normal banter, Marco's sunny whistling, Roy drinking his typical morning cup of coffee and Cap in his office doing paper work. Me, I was polishing and checking "Gahanna." Typical in every possible way.

At one point, we were all in the kitchen and I was on the sofa doing my usual reading and observing what was going on around me. Henry was curled up next to me, the lazy hound! The Klaxons sounded and we were on our way to a structure fire. The squad as well. The Battalion Chief was there and directing traffic. We all had our assignments and off we went. Everything went well and about an hour later we were released and headed back to the barn.

After we got there, I assumed my normal duties checking Hannah to make sure she didn't need any attention. I couldn't have a dirty engine!

The rest of the crew were finishing up their chores. Eventually, I ended up back on the couch and back to my reading with Henry keeping my side warm! All was calm. Well as calm as a place can be with Chet and John going at it! They just couldn't leave each other alone.

Cap came out of the office, clipboard in hand, looking at some papers and strolled into the kitchen. We had some chit chat and Cap asked about Luka and I told she was growing fast. Too fast for my liking. I told him Cody was doing a fantastic job with her and he gave me a thumbs up.

He then went over to the sink, put the clipboard down on the counter and grabbed the coffee pot to fill it with water. All of a sudden, Cap dropped the coffee pot in the sink and the clunk of it in the sink made me jump, grabbed the sides of his head, let out a sort of a helpless, pathetic squeal that I will never forget hearing and fell straight to the kitchen floor, landing face first.

I tried to get to him before he fell but didn't quite make it. I yelled for help at the top of my lungs and everyone came running as fast as they could. A still alarm was called, Rampart contacted and the fight to save our Captain's life had begun. It was a terrifying scene, one that I will never forget and what to follow was, quite simply, hell. Hell in the truest form of the word.

After we got Cap to the hospital, we were told the news was very grim to put it mildly. Brackett said that Cap was barely alive and the culprit was either a massive stroke or a brain aneurysm. The CAT scan, when they could do it safely, would give the final verdict. In any case Cap was in big, big trouble and it didn't exactly take rocket science to figure it out!

Marco gave Stacy a call and she was frantic which was totally understandable. She raced up to Rampart and rushed to Cap's side. It was absolutely terrifying to let our minds wonder about what happened. It was long after Chief McConnike joined us, as gravely concerned as the rest of us. Of course, needless to say, the station was stood down and replacements were found.

We were like restless, caged animals as we waited for any news. Coffee didn't do much in the way of calming the nerves. The sound of the squeal and Cap falling to the floor played over and over in my mind. And it sent shivers up my spine every time.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Brackett came down to the cafeteria where we were all waiting. It was easy to tell he was rattled but we didn't know to what extent until he took us all, Chief included, to his office. His walk suggested defeat but we weren't going there until we had a reason to. And I silently prayed we'd never have to go there; that Brackett was just exhausted.

He looked exhausted, defeated and sad. We were terrified as to what he had to say. We imagined the worst and somehow hoped for a glimmer of something encouraging. Though we knew the odds of that happening were slim to none from what we were able to gather to that point.

He then spoke and said "There is no easy way to say this. So I'll be straight out with it. In spite of everything Joe and I tried, we just couldn't save him. I declared Hank dead twenty minutes ago. He flat lined and we weren't able to bring him back. We feel pretty sure it was a brain aneurysm. I can't tell you how very sorry we are. We thought the world of Hank too." I swear if I didn't know any better, I saw a tear escape from his eye. And his shaky voice suggested he was fighting his emotions big time.

We were shell shocked. We were just told that our beloved leader, friend and Captain had passed away. We couldn't grasp the concept let alone wrap our minds around it. Our thoughts quickly turned to Stacy. Somehow, Roy was able to ask about her and Brackett said "She's in shock. I gave her mild dose of Valium. Dixie's with her now." He also said "I'm going to leave you here for a few minutes. Actually, you can stay in here as long as you need to. If you need anything let me know. I'm going to check on Stacy."

With that, he left the office and all of us together. I sat down on the couch slowly and fought my tears. All of us, Chief included, had misty eyes. After a bit, Chief broke the silence and said "In times like this, it really helps to talk about what we are feeling. Let's each of us share a fond memory or two of Hank that we will never forget. Gage, you can start." John looked up and blinked his eyes to hold back the tears.

Chief immediately noticed it and said "And if you have to let emotion out, then let it out. We're all brothers here and are feeling incredibly sad. Don't keep it bottled up. We're all in this together and no one is going to make fun of anyone."

I was seriously wowed by that. We were seeing a side of the Chief we've never seen before. At the time we needed a leader, sure enough, he took the reins and was being just that. I didn't know about the rest of the crew but I felt an element of comfort from that. I hoped they were feeling the same.

John cleared his voice and said "It has to be the first time Cap called me a Twit. His famous you blinded me you Twit! and not the coffee you Twit! The squad. Wow. And the many times he gave me latrine duty. It was a toss-up between Chet and me as to who would be blessed with it that day." John then got silent again so the Chief moved on to Roy.

It took him a few minutes and then he said "My favorites are when Cap was sure he had arthritis and the time we found out he burnt your hat Chief. Never could get out of him why he did it though." Once Roy was done, Marco spoke.

"Definitely the hat incident. And how crazy he got at the mention of your name Chief. It was almost like a Jekyll and Hyde personality thing. I commented once that we had a crazy Captain." Tears fell from Marco's eyes and he immediately had quite a few hands on his shoulder. Once Marco composed himself Chet then spoke.

"I think the two big things that I'll never forget was when Cap made me do latrine duty with a toothbrush once! Man I'll never forget that. The Phantom definitely learned his lesson after that fiasco. The second thing was how highly he regarded us all. We had a real sense of family with him that will be sorely missed." We all agreed with that point.

It was then my turn and I was at a loss as what to say. Most everything had been said. I then offered "What I found memorable was Cap's relationship with Charlie the Mechanic. It really did borderline on the comedic because Cap was always afraid of making him mad. He told all of us not to make him mad. I often wondered how Cap would have handled Charlie if he did get mad at him or one of us."

With that, I sat back down. Chief took the floor and said "As you would expect, I have quite a few memories of Hank. I have to say the hat incident ranks pretty high up there along with how rattled he was around me. I never held that incident against him and for some strange reason, deep in his psyche, he felt I did.

We have lost a good person, a devoted brother, fine family man. This loss is going to hit us harder as we go along. Right now, we have to be strong for Stacy and the boys. It's not going be an easy task but we have to do it. I'm going to check on her now and if want to go home that's fine. If you want to say a few words to Stacy, that's fine too.

I'm sorry for your loss, our loss. I know how much you all meant to him. He spoke of his crew with the greatest of affection. If any of you need anything, by all means, let me know. We'll get through this very hard time together."

Once again, the support that Chief was sending out was really comforting, at least it was to me. We followed him out of the office and back to the Emergency Room where Stacy was and each of offered her our sincerest words of comfort. She was clearly rattled but a little more calmer. She said she had no idea about funeral arrangements but she wanted us to be a part of it. "Hank would have wanted it that way" she told us.

We were of course honored and told her if she wanted or needed anything to let us know. We all left the hospital because there wasn't anything else we could do at that point.

So, we hopped into the Engine and Squad, minus one of our crew and drove back to the barn with hearts so heavy they could have put a giant crater in the road. The Captain's seat was empty. A few hours ago, he was there. My God, how could that be? We were still in some degree of shock. The ride was silent and once we got back, sympathetic hearts were waiting on us and they too felt an element of shock about the whole thing.

We thanked them for their caring and then went our separate ways. I got into my truck and headed home. I tried not to think about things too much but it was really hard not to. I just couldn't get that helpless, pathetic squeal out of my mind. I would never forget that as long as I lived I didn't think.

Julie was "really surprised" to see me so I assumed it wasn't public knowledge yet. I told her we had to go inside and sit down because I had some really heavy news to lay on her. So inside we went and sat down in the family room and I proceeded to tell her the grim news and she too was shocked.

She started to cry and wondered how Stacy and the boys were going to get through it. I told her more than likely Station 51 would adopt the family and do all we could to get them through this horrific time. Finally, I broke down and Julie and I held each other as we cried. We cried tears of loss, sadness, shock and for Stacy and the boys.

Once we pulled ourselves together, I told her about the Chief and how he took the bull by the horns and how he was so comforting. She asked about funeral arrangements and I told her all I knew was that Stacy wanted the whole crew involved. Julie and I then had a time of prayer for the Stanley family.

We broke the news to the boys and they were very somber. Cody thoughtfully said "I'm going to miss playing baseball with him. Wonder if he's playing baseball in Heaven?" and I said "Probably so Buddy." Bret asked how the rest of the family was taking it and I told him they were more than likely in shock like we are but to a more serious degree. I told him we'd have to keep them in our prayers.

One week later, the funeral rolled around and I swear it was one of the hardest things we had to do as a crew. In my mind, as long as the funeral was pending, it wasn't happening and Cap was OK; it was just a bad nightmare. Classical denial. But the day it came that meant that Cap was not OK and the nightmare was reality. Oh Lord, what a bitter pill to swallow!

If there was any possible way a funeral could be beautiful, this one was. It wasn't sad and gloomy, rather, it was a celebration of an incredible person and his life. Many people spoke about him. Family members, his crew, his Chief (who gave the eulogy) and told things that we never heard before that were really funny and some really serious stuff especially how much he thought of him.

Chief said he had to seriously smile because of the legacy and legend if you like that they share together. He said it would be something that he would hold close to his heart forever. He also shared with us that he had been a God-fearing man all his life (Devout Catholic to quote him) and knew better than to question God's plan for a person's life but he was having a real struggle with this.

Cap losing his life in the line of duty was one thing because that was an ever-present possibility with the line of work he was in. But to be struck down in the prime of his life was quite another. He also acknowledged that information would never be available to the mortal man but this was something he really wished he could have an answer to.

But then, if we did get answer, would it be good enough to satisfy us or would it make us more upset than we already are? That was a profound thought. His eulogy was really awesome and my respect for him grew that much deeper and I couldn't help but think Cap would have been amazed to know how much the Chief truly thought of him.

A very comical story we heard was from Cap's Dad Mark. According to Mr. Stanley, the clam chowder recipe has been passed down through many generations. He recalled the first time he and Cap, at age twelve, made the famous chowder together. Now it was no great secret that his dear son hated seafood in general. Fish was at the top of his contempt list along with just about everything else in between. For some reason, Cap thought the clams, shell and all, went into the chowder and when they were cooked, you peeled them out like one did lobster! That got a hearty laugh from us all.

Then Cap's mother, Shirley, shared things he used to say as a very young child. One of her all-time favorites was how he expressed himself when he was thirsty. "Mommy my mouth is wrinkled." Then, around Christmas, she and Mr. Stanley took Cap out to see Christmas lights. Because he was born in Wisconsin, it was frigid that time of year, there were a lot of folks that had fireplaces and used them. Cap seen smoke coming out of the chimneys. Fascinated he said "Lookee! Santa Claus is having a cookout!"

And one last endearing thing he said was "Daddy turn your eyes on" when his father was resting and he wanted to show him something. One last thing she shared with us was how "absolutely hilarious" he was during the potty training phase. She smiled and said "Hank will probably haunt me for the rest of my life for telling this but it's just too cute not to share."

She said he liked to hide out under the kitchen table. He took doing his "big job" very seriously as indicated by his "beet red" face and all the noise he made. Mr. Stanley used to call it "Hank's grand production" and we had to laugh imaging a toddler Cap under the kitchen table "taking care of business."

The next to speak was Jon-Mark Stanley. He spoke mostly of his adoption adventures and how much he loved his family and how close he was to his father. He talked about fishing trips, camping trips, hunting trips and how much fun the Stanley boys had with one another. Jon-Mark said Cap could tell "a mean ghost story" around the campfire. He said they never failed to raise the hair on his neck!

And then he said something that brought the crew to tears. He shared that we had been "the anchor" to get the family to this point. He said his father often said that the Fire Department was a true brotherhood and he expressed how blessed and truly fortunate they were to know us all.

"I wish you could know the depths of affection my Dad had for the lot of you. He always felt you were in fact the cream of the crop so to speak. He often said he wouldn't want any other crew but his own. And in your own special way, you were his own. We loved hearing about the pranks between Uncle Chet and Uncle Johnny. Many of them were hilarious. And hearing about the field mouse Uncle Marco named Herbert. And Uncle Johnny's get rich quick schemes, Uncle Mike's famous fried chicken and spaghetti.

Uncle Roy and his voice of wisdom and reason that my Dad often said Uncle Roy is gifted with. Those are the things I will really miss hearing about. My Dad was really animated when talking about Uncle Chet and Uncle Johnny. All our family asks is that you stay close to us. We're really going to need your strength in the coming days." Coming from a sixteen year old, the only thing that describes that is elegant. He did a fantastic job. Cap would have been beaming with pride.

Of course, we, the crew, all got to say a few words and I think out of all of us, Chet was the most comical. He told the story of Cap and latrine duty with a toothbrush. He put powder, baking soda, flour, and baking powder in Cap's shoes in spite of protests from the rest of the crew. He said he was sure Cap would think it was funny but we knew he wouldn't be amused at all.

Chet said it was something he'd never forget and "The Phantom" never did anything like that again! Especially to the Cap. He said when "The Phantom got frisky" Cap would ask if he forgot about the "many uses of a toothbrush" and even kept one in the desk drawer "for good measure." Every now and then Cap would even show it to him. Chet said that was enough to put "The Phantom" back on the straight and narrow!

Then he told another story about hanging hoses one day. Next to latrine duty, he despises hanging hoses and was and is very vocal about it. Well, Cap got fed up with it and threatened to hang Chet from the hose hanger! Laughter rang out with that story.

But, as Chet pointed out, that was Cap. A commander through and through, knowing when to be firm and knowing when not to be. And the last point Chet made was how much we truly loved the man. Both as a Leader and Brother, and for a few of us, a father figure. A pillar in our lives that will forever be remembered as one of the most fair minded, balanced and respected Captains ever.

Dr. Brackett spoke on behalf of Rampart Emergency. He said always saw Cap as a "unique piece of work." He always appreciated the fact that they shared being "horrible patients in the hospital" in common. Top unforgettable memory was the time Cap was electrocuted. "Man alive, that was bad. Hank was really lucky it wasn't any worse. An angel was definitely sitting on his shoulder that day."

And his second favorite was the time Cap was convinced he had arthritis. He said in many ways it was good humor. Especially after it was ascertained that he in fact did not have arthritis. Kel said his paranoia was always good for comic relief. But in spite of all that, he was a really good person. Dedicated to his job, to the people under him, to the people above him and to his family.

He told Jon-Mark, John-Robert and Jean-Carlylse that they were going to grow up and do exceptional things because of Cap's fine example. As he finished, he wiped a few tears that fell.

And last to speak was Stacy. She said never in her life did she feel so much love in one room as she did that moment. She thanked everyone for participating and sharing their fond memories of her beloved Hank and told the Chief his eulogy was simply breathtaking. "Hank would be so very honored to know how very much you thought of him."

She went on to say she never knew Hank made Chet do latrine duty with a toothbrush! "Hank was something else!" She told Mrs. Stanley her memories were really precious and she was glad she shared those memories. It was hard for her to imagine Hank as a toddler.

Life would be forever changed and going on would be a total uphill battle for a while but with the support of us all, she felt sure they'd get through it. She also said she felt certain that Hank had been promoted to "Angel Status" and would be watching over all of us along with the Patron Saint of Firefighters, Saint Florian.

Although not Catholic, she said Hank always had great regard for Saint Florian. She said her hope of hopes was that one of the boys would follow in Hank's footsteps. To her, it would be a very beautiful tribute.

She also echoed Jon-Mark's sentiments thanking us warmly and gratefully for all we had done. And as a final thought, she said going forward, we would all have to live a life honoring to Hank's memory. She knew surely it would be a challenge in and of itself. We were to always remember the good times and keep them close to our hearts.

When the Minister spoke, he pretty much echoed our sentiments. He said Hank was an outstanding Deacon and a fabulous guitar player. He said the choir would sorely miss his playing and the church as a whole would miss his contributions to the church community and the surrounding community. He was a real pillar of the community because helping those less fortunate was something very important to him. It was a very nice tribute.

After the Minister spoke, Cap was then taken out of the church and his casket was very carefully and respectfully put on the back of the Engine (51) and that was another very difficult thing to do. Driving the engine. Stacy picked a particular route to take Cap en route to the cemetery. She didn't want him to go the conventional way. She wanted me to have the honor of taking him.

Marco and Chet sat where they normally did. John and Roy tended to the precious casket on top of the engine. As we were headed to the burial, I still could not believe this was really happening. My mind echoed what Chief said. To lose his life in the line of duty was one thing. But to be struck down in the prime of his life was quite another. It wasn't fair! I had to fight tooth and nail to keep it together.

It was tough on all of us. Once we got to the cemetery, we gently and respectfully lowered Cap's coffin to the ground and then carried it to the burial site. The burial service was short and to the point. Many tears fell from those present and I just couldn't believe that my Captain and friend was headed for the cold, hard ground. It was totally beyond my comprehension. How in the world would we go on with a loss of that magnitude? Only God knew, that's for sure. Because we didn't have any answers at that point.

One year later, a whole lot has happened. Cap's autopsy revealed a brain aneurysm was the cause of death. Dr. Brackett was once again correct with his suspicions which didn't shock anyone, given how great the man is at what he does.

About six months ago, I was promoted to Captain and Marco to Engineer of Station 51. John and Roy are still with 51's as is Chet. We have a new crew member whose name is Patrick Rocco who we affectionately call "Rocky." He's been a welcomed addition and fits right in with the rest of us.

A couple of weeks after Cap's passing, Stacy donated a fabulous twenty four by eleven picture of Cap when he was first promoted to Captain and it hangs proudly in the office with a nice In Memory plaque underneath it. It's nice to know he's watching over us and it seems to belong right where it is.

I have taken Cap's example and have an open door policy with the crew as well. I too have to play referee to John and Chet's squawks and I have only threatened Chet once with latrine duty via the toothbrush Chet called it a "low blow" because in his mind, Captain Stanley was the only one "authorized" to do that.

I told him not so; I was the Captain now so that gives me automatic authorization and threatened John with it once too! Rocky is a prankster too so needless to say it can be a real zoo at times. Most of the time, it's pretty peaceful.

My first official call as a Captain and climbing in the Captain's seat for that run was bittersweet to say the least. I knew it was a goal I had but yikes it was really uncomfortable. It took a little getting used to and I'm pretty much OK with it now. I'm very thankful I was able to stay at 51's.

Our replacement Captain James Meier did a great job attempting to fill what he called "enormous shoes." He reminded me a lot of myself. Quiet, avid reader and firm when he had to be. We respected him and he knew we did. He said he felt Cap's death was a "tragedy of epic proportions." He said everyone in the Brotherhood were very sad when we lost him.

At any rate, we've adjusted as well as can be expected. Stacy and the boys are doing well and have had a done of support to get through it. We at 51's have done all we can to help them. They know they can call on us anytime and we'll be there.

John and Marco have become mentors to the boys and in many ways, have picked up where Cap left off. They love to hunt, fish and do campouts together and it also provides an outlet for the boys to vent about how much they miss their father.

John and Marco are very determined to keep them on a positive path and guide them to make the right choices in life. Stacy has said many times that John and Marco are a God-sent and she is so very thankful for all they have done. John has even showed them some stuff of basic survival courtesy of the Native American way. The boys have said those lessons were "fascinating to say the least." And I can just imagine they were.

So all in all, we have had quite a year of adjustments. We miss Cap on a daily basis and the hole of Cap's departure in our hearts is still pretty fresh and tender. We're all coping with it as best we can. We have comfort knowing that we will see Cap again someday.

He left us a legacy of honor, service and dedication both in his personal and professional lives. We must always learn from the example he gave us. We can do no less to honor his memory.

End

**A Couple Of Notes:**

**The reason I wrote this is because I noticed someone commented in a different story that they wanted to see a Cap death story so here's my best attempt at doing one.**

**The ideas of things Cap said as a toddler came from my own brother who was born December 23****rd****. And the potty training tale came from the same source.**

**I chose a brain aneurysm because it's sudden and it works. They often come on with no warning and more often than not, they are deadly. **

**This was a therapeutic thing for me to do. I lost my closest and best friend a few years ago and some days I miss her so much it kills me. So through writing this, I was able to channel my grief and sadness in a very constructive way. And I must say I do feel better because of it. **


End file.
